


Thorns of Despair

by ShadoweyLight, Vocaloidevil



Series: Game of Despair and Love [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Kokichi is a lying Grape, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-25 01:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20024188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadoweyLight/pseuds/ShadoweyLight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vocaloidevil/pseuds/Vocaloidevil
Summary: Monokuma finds out about Hanahaki Disease. Lol Despair.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Follow Characters from DR1, 2 , 3 as they face the most ruthless part of highschool.Love.With the timer ticking and infected people among them will they be able to find their happy endings or will their own insecurities destroy them?





	1. The Disease

Our story starts in a gym. The gym of a not-so-average high school, with more than above-average students. These above-average students were called “Ultimates”, and were the best in their field, despite their young age. Sixteen of these ultimates were currently gathered in said gym, anxiety filling them for why they were there.   
You see, what made said high school not so average, was that it was closer to a prison than a high school. A place where these ultimates were taken against their will. They had been made aware of who had taken them there: A robotic stuffed bear named Monokuma. They had been made aware of what some of his intentions were: Despair. What they didn’t know, however, was just what they were meant to do there.   
Several months had gone by, and the only thing that had happened to have brought them despair was the fact that they had found no way to leave. Despite this, everyone seemed to get along well together- even if more than a few of the students there liked to cause trouble. This is why being called to the gym like this all of a sudden left a pit in each and every one of their stomachs. Whatever Monokuma had in store for them after being dormant for so long… it couldn’t be good.  
The sixteen students within the school were as follows:   
Hajime Hinata, who had yet to remember his ultimate talent. Nagito Komaeda, the hope, and talent obsessed ultimate lucky student. Celestia Lunenburg, the two-faced queen of liars, and ultimate gambler. Kokichi Ouma, the trouble-making king of liars, and ultimate supreme leader. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the uptight ultimate moral compass who did his best to keep the others in line. Mondo Owada, the hot-headed but honorable ultimate biker gang leader. Aoi Asahina, the energetic and optimistic, yet somewhat air-headed, ultimate swimmer. Ryoma Hoshi, the shell of the former ultimate tennis pro, now referring to himself as the ultimate prisoner.   
Also Among them was: Kirumi Tojo, the self-sacrificing ultimate maid who was ultimately devoted to her work. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the also hot-headed yet, yet anti-social, ultimate yakuza. Peko Pekoyama, the cool-headed, if not a bit stoic, ultimate swordswoman. Mikan Tsumiki, the skittish and anxiety-ridden ultimate nurse. Kaito Momota, the optimistic and bombastic luminary of the stars (Ultimate Astronaut)! Maki Harukawa, the shockingly cold and stoic, yet surprisingly caring, ultimate child care giver. Akane Owari, the always hungry hot and air-headed ultimate gymnast. And last but not least, Rantaro Amami, the cool-headed and older brother figure ultimate adventurer.  
All of these ultimates, with such different personalities, now gathered in fear in the gym. The gym where they first met: And the gym where they first met Monokuma. None of them had stepped into the building since that very first day, and thus an unsettling tension filled the room as they waited. Waited for the one who called them here to make his entrance. Each of them had come to the same, fearful conclusion: Monokuma was ready to tell them what he had taken them to this school for.  
The anxiety in the room was so high, that not only would you hear a pin drop in the silence, but every single person there would have jumped at the sound. And this is exactly what happened when each of them heard a familiar laugh come from up on the stage.  
“Upupupu! Mic check, 1 2 3! Can everybody hear me?” calls out a deceptively cheerful voice, almost mocking. “Can everybody hear my despair filled voice?” he calls out again. Absolute silence greeted him, along with several nasty glares. It was at this point that the bear walked out from behind the podium. “Geeze tough crowd,” he says in a distressed tone.  
“Why did you call us here after all this time” demands Hajime, his tone stern and aggravated. Monokuma began to sweat nervously as the other students chattered about what could be happening, and that such a thing was surely no good. The bear knew he had to regain control of the crowd. “Alright! Alright! Alright! Quiet down” he called out, making the gym go eerily silent.  
“Phew, now as I was gonna say,” he said with a sinister joy in his voice that sent a chill down the spines of everyone in the room, “you are all probably wondering why you’re all here in this school!” Monokuma states, as he witnesses the expressions in the crowd changed from those of fear and confusion to fear and intrigue. Monokuma let the suspense build before he unveiled his announcement.   
“You’re all gonna be on a TV show for sad lonely people to watch while they wish they had someone to love!”   
The students murmured in confusion but he pressed on “Yet there’s a twist! I realize not all you kids will cooperate with me, so I added a deadly twist to it!” the monochromatic bear could barely keep his chuckles in “And when I say deadly, I mean deadly!”. He says. The room went stone silent and Monokuma relished in the Despair that was almost tangible. “Now now relax, I won’t kill you, but I’ve infected a large group of you with a disease. The Hanahaki disease.” explains the bear. The students all looked at each other confused before their captor spoke once more   
“Basically, Hanahaki is a disease of unrequited love! Those infected with the disease have a beautiful little flower growing in their lungs. The longer it's there, the more it will grow and eventually kill you! The only cure is to have your crush confess to you, or accept your confession. Good luck!” says the bear.  
“Wait hold on-!” Taka’s voice rose above the shocked silence. But the bear had already waved his goodbyes and disappeared behind the podium without a trace. The sixteen students were left in the dark to let their mind fester in this sick twisted version of a dating show. It was a few moments before Kiriumi’s calm voice rose above the crowd’s anxious chatter. “Well, I suggest that those who have it tell us. After all, they would know best” she said calmly and confidently. “Exactly! Those who have the disease raise your hand!” Taka’s voice chimed in as a few of the other students murmured their agreements. Though in the end no one spoke up about having the disease Monokuma described. This tense silence went on and on, before they were all forced to exit the gym in anxiety as the nighttime announcement played. 

And thus started the deadly love life of the ultimate academy for gifted juveniles.


	2. Komahina Day One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime gets frustrated over life in captivity and Nagito hates himself for an entire day.

The first morning after the announcement from monokuma, I felt a sort of disconnect with reality. Maybe that was because the reality we had been presented with was just so ridiculous… and horrible. I sigh, the realization of the situation weighing heavy as I sit up and grab my monopad. I turn it on to see the time is 6:52 in the morning. Just a few more minutes of silence before Monokuma’s voice would come over the speakers, telling me it was time for all of us to meet up in the dining hall.  
I sigh, laying back on my bed for some semblance of peace- however long that’d last. No matter how hard I tried to drive the situation out of my head, it’d just come back full force. I think back to yesterday- about the disease that Monokuma had talked about. “A disease of unrequited love” I say aloud, repeating the words in my head as if that’d somehow make it make sense.  
“I wonder just how many people have been infected…”  
As those words escape my lips, I hear the “Ding dong dong ding” of the bell, letting us know the daytime announcement is playing. I sigh and sit up as Monokuma says his same annoying speech about it being 7 am. However, when the sound of the monitor turning off didn’t come when expected, I finally turn to it. I furrow my eyebrows, a bad feeling forming in my chest.  
“Now I know this is normally the time when the announcement would stop and everything, but someone made me aware of a very, very important thing that I neglected to tell you yesterday! You see, while the acceptance of a confession can cure hanahaki quick as a flash, a rejection of said confession is pretty much an instant death! Sooo if your crush doesn’t like you back… well, let’s just hope someone mourns for you!” he says, that sickening laugh escaping his mouth as he finishes his awful explanation.  
I’m barely paying attention as Monokuma finally turns off the announcement, leaving a deafening silence in the room. He just had to make it worse, didn’t he? I don’t even know how, but Monokuma somehow found a way to make this horrible situation even worse! Still sitting on my bed, I pull the sheets in frustration, letting out a yell as I do so. I sit there for a few moments, just letting some of my frustrations vent. But doing so for much longer wouldn’t be good for anybody, and I knew this.  
Taking a sigh, I stand up and exit my room, a bit calmer. I don’t see anybody on the way- which with my mood, I was kind of grateful for. I open up the doors to the dining hall, and see that Nagito, Mikan, Kirumi, Taka, and Rantaro. Every single one of them, even Kirumi and Nagito who were a bit hard to read, seemed to be on edge. Taka was the first to break the silence, standing up stiffly and saying (yelling) his greetings.  
“Good morning Hajime! I hope that despite our grim situation your spirits are still high!” he says. I jumped a bit, still not entirely used to his loud tone in the mornings. “Uh, yeah, sure” I say, struggling to keep up. ‘Well at least his energy is in tact’ I think to myself. Taka sits back down, and I survey the room a bit. Kirumi is next to speak up. “Breakfast isn’t ready yet, however if you sit down it should be finished and plated within a few more minutes,” she says, her voice cool and collected as she motions to an empty seat.  
I sit down, but the atmosphere feels wrong. I wasn’t the only one who thought so either. Nagito, who was always so talkative, sat silently in his seat as if he didn’t know what to say. And Mikan, who was already a nervous wreck as is, kept fidgeting with her hands as she looked between everyone at breakneck speed. I stay silent for a few more moments, before I’ve had enough.  
“So are we really not going to talk about this?!” I ask, tone upset and annoyed  
All eyes fall on me, as everyone is startled by the sudden shift in topic. Rantaro was the first to speak up “Well there isn’t much we can talk about, Hajime,” he made a large sweeping gesture to the few people sitting at the table, “We don’t even know what Hanaki exactly does. Just that it has to do with love, and a flower is growing in our lungs” he elaborated.  
“Y-yes!” Mikan piped up suddenly looking a bit more excited “I-if no-noone shows any symptoms t-then I can perform checkups! If someone has flowers in their lungs, it s-should change their breathing patterns!” she said, gaining a bit more confidence as she spoke “My lab even has x-rays if we need it!” when she finished almost all of her timidness had melted off. I let out a small groan in frustration “Yes, but still! Aren't you concerned?! We’ve been kidnapped to be put on some shows and who knows how many of us are infected? How can you all be sitting here like nothing is happening!?” I vent. Since I had put so much passion into those words, I was a bit winded after saying them, and Mikan sunk back into her chair.  
“Well” says a deep, tired voice from the entry-way of the dining area. We turn to look at the owner, who was walking in. “As I see it, bein here isn’t much different from prison.” Ryoma elaborated. He simply gave a shrug “When you’re in prison there’s nothing much you can do about your situation. So it’s best to not stress over what you can’t do, and focus on what you can.” his words carried the weight and experience of a man knowing what he was talking about.  
Those words reigned my anxiety in a bit, as the conversation turned a bit more calm. Soon after, Kirumi came back out of the kitchen balancing several plates with ease, and sets them down in front of each chair regardless if there was a person occupying it or not. She gave a firm bow “Enjoy your meals” and walked back into the kitchen.  
I take up a knife and fork, and start digging into the meal. It was a bit better now, but I’m at least going to want to be on a full stomach if I’m going to get worked up like that. I barely paid any mind to the small chatter that began to arise from the table’s occupants, as well as the new people funneling in for their morning meal. It was getting louder and louder, and fading into background noise as I continued to eat. It was because of this that I almost missed the distinct sound of someone coughing. It wasn’t until the second person joined the first in an intense coughing fit that I looked up from my food.  
Both Taka and Rantaro were bent over their plates, coughing as if they were choking. Usually their lungs would clear up from any food or drink in a couple moments, but the two showed no signs of stopping. Mikan jumped up and immediately tried to help the two, while Kirumi rushed back out from the kitchen to see if she could be of assistance. The rest of us just stared, frozen. After Mikan had managed to get them both stable and breathing again thanks to Kirumi’s help, the two rose to their feet. Taka looked down for a moment, and his eyes locked on his hand almost immediately. “W-What is…” he stuttered, before letting out a horrified scream.  
Mikan and Kirumi rushed to his side, trying to calm down the boy from whatever scared him. However, when Mikan looked at his hand, she couldn’t help but have a similar reaction. “B-B-B… Blood!” she screams, sending a chill down the spines of every person in the room. I rushed over to see for myself, and sure enough there were small, yet completely visible, specks of blood on the boys hand. I take a step back, a lump in my throat forming as I take in the situation. With what Monokuma had said about flowers growing in the lungs…  
“It’s the disease” I say.  
Despite those words being to myself, they caught everyone's attention as I seemed to have stated what everyone was too afraid to say. A tense silence filled the room. One which nobody dared to break. Whether it was out of sympathy for the two boys who had just been confirmed to have the disease, or pure fear, nobody could say. The silence was only broken when the doors swung wide open, Kaito arriving late with Maki like always.  
“Something smells great! What’s for breakfast today Kirumi?” he asks, his usual optimistic smile on his face. However, when he was met with total silence in return, this turns into anxious glances. “Hey, what’s with you all? Did I say something?” he asks. Despite this, the dead silence continued. Maki, who was surveying the room, speaks for the first time since coming in. “Kaito, I think we walked in during an important moment” she cooly explained, which made Kaito look back at us “Oh, is that it?” he asks.  
I sighed, as Mikan spoke up to answer Kaito and Maki for everybody. “Um… Taka and Rantaro… we think they both have the disease. They started coughing r-really badly, and Taka even had some blood on his hand-” she stuttered out. She didn’t seem to like the intense stare Maki was giving her. The room once more filled with silence and Kaito and Maki took in the news.  
“I-i should get them to m-my lab” Mikan’s small voice floated into the room, as she shuffled with the two boys to go to her lab. “Well then,” Kaito blinked, his voice breaking the remaining tension in the room “We should eat and talk about this shouldn’t we?” he says in a tone that made it seem like he thought we should have already been doing this. Well… I guess we should have. All of us one by one sat back down in our seats. A silence once more filled the room, as nobody wanted to be the one to start the discussion.  
“Well?” Kokichi’s voice piped up against the silence that kept coming back “You’re the one who wanted to talk Kaito, so talk away!” he said with a smile. He gained a few glares from a couple people around the table, but it didn’t seem to phase him. Instead, he just smiles and stares at Kaito. Kaito, in turn, clears his throat through his nerves. “Well… um-” it was clear by the nervous look he was giving that Kaito didn’t know what he was talking about. Tired of hearing him stumbling, I speak up instead. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do about those who are infected first. Mikan can only take care of them for so long. We need a plan.” I say.  
Nagito nodded “Yes, we should. First of all, what do we know about the disease?” he asks us: perhaps to get us all on the same page. “W-well, there’s flowers growing in the lungs of the infected. We’re not sure who is infected, but Taka and Rantaro, who we’re suspecting right now, were seemingly choking and coughed up blood” I say, trying to explain to everybody the best I could. Nagito adds onto it, saying “Don’t forget that it’s tied to love, and that rejection is seemingly an instant death”  
Augh, right that was important. It was all tied to love somehow. I was becoming frustrated with how unfair the entire thing was.  
“So, we should wait for Mikan to finish up her examination. Perhaps she can perform similar tests to all of us to narrow down those who might be infected, yes?” Celeste’s prim and proper voice rang out as she calmly sipped her tea. “We know the cure, it is simply a love confession” she nursed the cup. “To confess and not only be cured, but find love; Or, to confess, rejected, and then wither away instantly. It is quite the gamble, is it not?” she says, a hauntingly calm smile on her face. The somber silence fell back into the room, as the weight of those words sank in. Some, like me, began picking at the food again to distract ourselves. Others sat in silence, just staring at their plates in thought.  
“Well maybe,” Nagito’s voice piped up again “there’s something in the library?” he suggests. Kirumi nods in agreement. “There are a lot of books in the library, perhaps there are some medical journals?” she adds helpfully. A few others sit up in their seats a bit, seemingly considering the idea when: “Hmmmmm nah” Kokichi says, dismissing the idea almost immediately “If there was Monokuma probably would have gotten rid of them already!” he states. My insides were flipping and turning in twirls of Hope and Despair over and over. Was there seriously nothing we could do?!  
“Hmm… that’s too bad” says Nagito...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

As we all finished breakfast, Kirumi collected our plates along the way. I went with some of the others to exit the dining hall once we were finished. While it is true Monokuma may have removed any medical mention of Hanahaki, I wondered if there was anything else like news clippings. ‘Surely the library has those’, I think to myself. As I do so though, I hear footsteps jogging up behind me, and look back to see Hajime running ahead in my direction. To my surprise, he starts to walk next to me.  
“Hey Nagito” he says, sounding a little somber. Ah, but I suppose that would be expected with the situation we were in: despite Ryoma’s hopeful encouraging words. I nodded to him, and felt a small smile pull on my lips. “Hajime, what are you planning to do today?” I ask. Of course I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t tell me, it was really none of my business. He runs a hand through his hair and let out a sigh “Probably just thinking it over. Even if we know the cure, we don’t know who’s infected. We need a plan for how to go about this” he says. I look at him and felt my throat gain a small tickle. “Ah, Hajime, maybe your talent is an Ultimate Leader talent like Kokichi! That’s a very similar way of thinking” I offered trying to help him. He had a small smile as he looked back at me  
“Maybe, though I don’t think that’s really it”  
Of course, what was I thinking! Even with my luck, I would never be able to guess whatever amazing talent Hajime had. “Anyways how about you? What will you do?” he asks. I clear my throat in an attempt to get the tickling to leave. “Ah, just gonna read a bit in the library. Even if Kokichi is correct, who knows? Maybe some fiction will give me ideas!” I say cheerily. Hajime nods back to me, and we walked in a comfortable silence until we reached the library “Well see you later, Nagito” he says. Hajime waves, and walks off. My hand waved back as he left, and I felt this warm feeling inside me…  
But of course I had to get to work! I couldn’t stand there basking in Hajime’s hope for too long, after all. I step into the library and pull my sleeve up a tad to cough into. Once that was finished, I aimlessly wander the several bookcases, looking for anything that may help us. As Kokichi had predicted, anything that would be obviously tied to Hanahaki was lacking in the library. ‘How despairing’ I think to myself, as I pull a random book with a green cover and gold lettering.  
I sit down, opening it up to find I had chosen a romance novel! I’m not usually a fan of such stories, but it’ll give me something to do while I think over the situation we’ve found ourselves in. It may be a situation full of despair, but surely the hope that would result from the Ultimate’s connections and love in eachother would overtake this despair in no time! I felt happiness bloom in my chest at the opportunity to witness such a hopeful future. Surely there would be bad fortune in my future in exchange for such a gift...  
I started to wonder who might have crushes, and who those people may be. I mean even if they weren’t infected, it would probably be nice to know for reference. Fuyuhiko and Peko, for example, had something going on: but that itself was shrouded in mystery. Anyone could tell the subtle way Fuyuhiko would shift in discomfort every time Peko agreed to something he said. While they both acted and claimed they were acquaintances, that didn’t seem like the truth. Mondo might have a crush on Taka: or they were really just platonically close... I was never that good at judging things like that with accuracy. However, if Taka has the disease, that raises the chances: unless there’s someone I’m overlooking there. I leaned back from my book and gave another short cough into my sleeve.  
“Taka and Rantaro huh?” my voice quietly sounded in the silent library as I tried to think of who they might have caught feelings for. I looked up to the florestents in the ceiling, as if they held the answer to the question. I didn’t know either that well: which was good. I didn’t want my presence to sully their bright talented light, you know? It was best I didn’t get too close to anyone here. I sighed and hummed “But that already kinda failed huh?” I murmured thinking back to Hajime. We didn’t always see eye to eye on everything, but he still hung around and listened to me. I should really get him to leave me before my luck hurts him...  
There was also Mikan: she had accidentally found out about my illness when I had almost collapsed in the hall after Akane had made us all participate in a mock Sports Day. I had no choice but to tell her after that, and she’s been diligently looking after me since then. Reminding me to eat, do things like groom myself and such. I forgot those things sometimes. It had made the fact that I didn’t belong among all these shining beacons of Talented hope all the more obvious, I’m still surprised trash like me made it in.  
Talent... huh. Thinking about that always makes me think back to Hajime. Probably because I didn’t know his talent- though it’s not like he was purposefully keeping a secret, as he didn’t recall himself. That didn’t seem like a lie either. “Hajime Hinata” I mutter to myself, coughing in the middle of saying such a wonderful name. However, it didn’t go away like it had been; so, I shut the book and leaned forward to properly muffle my wheezes and coughs. How unfortunate if I disturbed someone else’s meaningful time-  
I felt my world slow as I pulled from my sleeve and saw a dozen tiny specks of red. Hard to see but no less there.  
‘No, no way this has to be my sickness right?’ I thought to myself, desperate for it to be true. Yet a little voice in the back of my head poked at me, reminding my of the true answer: I had probably caught Monokuma’s sickness. The sickness coursing through Taka and Rantaro’s bodies. My mind spun as I stared down at my speckled sleeve, trying to think about who I could have possibly caught feelings for. I don’t know why I bothered to think about it: maybe to stall the inevitable conclusion I had known since I saw it?  
I felt panic in my mind that made my muscles seize up. A crush? On. . . Hajime?  
“No” I muttered, standing up. My thoughts and my voice could only utter that one word ‘No’, over and over again. This couldn’t be happening. This is the absolute worst thing that could happen. My breath felt short and I reached out to the table to balance myself. I just needed to breathe and relax. I’ll be able to decide what to do when I’m not in a whirling oblivion of my mind.  
Okay, first of all: I have a crush on Hajime Hinata. Second: I am one of the few who have contracted the Hanahaki disease, and the cure is to confess my love and have it be returned. If not, I die instantly.  
I felt a small giggle escape from my lips, that eventually grew into a more steady stream of laughter. There’s no way he would return how I feel. Not with trash like me. And even if he did- I felt my throat seize up more, and I coughed in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. Even if he did return my feelings, there would be no way I would be good enough for him. Not only that, but it would also be the worst thing to happen. He and Mikan are already at risk by simply being friends with me: I can’t imagine what my luck would do to him if we were romantically involved.  
‘It is best if I didn’t tell him. Yes, that is for the best.’ I thought, straightening myself back up and making sure my throat was clear so nobody would be able to tell. if this was to work, I had to act no more sick than usual and keep this all under lock and key. I smiled a bit “This will be my little secret I take to my grave” I mused to myself in the quiet. That was one of the things I appreciated about the library; it was so quiet. It seemed like it would hold any and all secrets right along with its leather bound tales.  
I looked around the library a bit for tissues, and when I had finally found them I dabbed them on some of the blood flecks on my jacket. While it didn’t erase them, it made them even harder to see than before; and in any case, I can play it off. I bunched them up, took the box, and shoved the used tissues into my pocket as I exited the library. While I was at more risk of being discovered by having these in my room, it was an easy solution to hiding the blood from the others for the moment. As I exit the library, I walk past Kokichi in the hall. We look at each other for a moment, but beyond that we didn’t exchange any words. I continue to make my way to my dorm.  
Thankfully no one else was wandering the halls as I arrived to my room and unlock the door. I slip inside, making sure to fully shut the door behind me. I set the box down on my bedside drawer, and took the few crumpled tissues, making sure to deposit them in the waste bin. ‘What else can I do?’ I thought to myself sinking into my bed’s soft mattress. I laid there and thought for a while. ‘I couldn’t tell anyone that was for sure, but didn’t people also usually feel better when they talked secrets with someone? I obviously had no luxury of doing such a thing with anyone.’  
As a lay there thinking, a small knock sounded at my door, before a meek voice I knew all too well sounded. “N-nagito? Are you here?” Mikan’s small voice spoke to me from the other side of the door. “I would like to do a medical examination to see if I can’t find more people with Hanahaki” she says. I held my breath; maybe if I just didn’t respond, she’d think I was gone. I remembered, however, that I didn’t care to lock the door. So, just to be safe, I turned onto my side and closed my eyes, evening out my breathing. She would be too meek to check further than taking a peek if she did choose to open the door. Mikan knocks again, but with the lack of response I heard her small footsteps walk away from my room. She would surely be looking for me now, but that was something I could delay for a short amount of time. I stayed in that position for a little bit longer, truly taking in how tired I was. Before I knew it, I had slipped into a dreamless sleep.  
I woke up much later, a muddy feeling and aches plaguing my body. ‘I probably should have changed positions before I fell asleep’ I think to myself as I pop some of my joints. I carefully crept out of bed and into the hall, it now bathed in variety of oranges and reds courtesy of the setting sun outside. ‘I should have enough time to grab something while everyone is out of the dining hall’ I thought optimistically as I slipped down the hall.  
I made sure to keep mostly out of the way to avoid the most people on my little journey. The school almost seemed abandoned with how quiet it was if, and if I had not known better I would have assumed that was indeed the case. By some luck I managed to run into no one as I strolled into the kitchen. More luck awaited me as I looked through the fridge and found leftovers that were no doubt cooked for lunch: or maybe dinner. I peeled the cover off the container and stared at the meal inside.  
‘I guess eating reheated udon wouldn’t be so bad’ I think to myself as I slide the container into the microwave. I tried to stay in the corner where no one would readily see me, incase my luck ran out and someone walked in. As I waited, I sorta fiddled with my hoodie strings and stood there, listening to endless drone of the microwave warming my meal. I almost got lost in my thoughts again, but the microwave beeped, signalling that the food was done. I shuffle over and open it. But as my hands touched the bowl, I jump back, the blistering heat registering on my skin. I clicked my tongue and looked around for a pot holder to help me get the bowl.  
It took me a while since Kirumi mostly cooks for us or Mikan would reheat me food to make sure I actually ate it. Not to mention, there is little reason for me to be in the kitchen alone. Being alone was kinda a mixed feeling I guess, I didn’t want to see anyone, true: but at the same time, a part of me missed the mindless white noise of people talking and laughing. If I can’t join in with them, my second best thing was to watch them all being happy from afar. I sighed softly as I removed the dish from the microwave, ‘Should I sit at the table?’ I think to myself. But there really was no point in sitting at the table. No one else was here. I set the bowl on the counter and scavenge through a drawer for a fork to dig into my food.  
Even as I tried my best to ignore it, the clatter of the silverwear seemed deafening in the stillness of the orange bathed halls. I grumble and shuffle back over to the place I had set the bowl with my newly obtained fork. It was best to eat fast and get this done fast so I could go back to my room, where I wouldn’t be in the open. I ran a hand through my hair as I ate. ‘I wonder if I should maybe shower, Mikan would want me to take care of myself’. I sigh as the thought crossed my mind. It would do me good to start having a sort of schedule to appear healthy as my health deteriorated from the inside faster than ever before.  
I start to lean back a bit, giving a couple coughs into my sleeve, as if my body was trying to remind me of my new situation. As if I didn’t know it all too well already.  
I finished up my meal, depositing the dish into the sink for Kirumi before stopping. ‘I might as well take care of it right?’. I look around the sink, and find the dish soap and a sponge. I take the time to clean the bowl, before depositing it on the drying rack and leaving the room. I carefully tread the halls back to my room, hoping the entire way there that my luck would hold out and keep the others clear of my path. I reach my room with no incident and slip inside.  
I look at my bathroom and once again consider the idea of a shower. But then again with all this good luck, it didn’t seem safe. I could slip and injure myself, forcing me to go see Mikan. Or if I didn’t see her, it could give me away. Or maybe the handle could snap off, and it could flood my entire room, forcing me to possibly have to sleep in someone else’s room for a short while: assuming Monokuma would even fix it. Or I could just burst a pipe and make everyone’s lives harder the next morning...  
I decide to forget the bath, and just kick off my shoes by the door while shrugging off the jacket, hanging it on the door handle. I made sure my door was locked this time, before stumbling over to my bed and flopping down on it.  
I pull the sheets up over me, and once again slip into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is a choose your own adventure type story! Each Chapter will be about one singular ship's path towards a conclusion but there will also be overlap with the other stories you'll see later!


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